birthday

Dear Mom,

I'm starting to turn into quite the slacker myself, like mother like daughter I suppose.  For whatever reason I was having trouble finding the inspiration to write.  Not that this recipe that I'm including isn't inspiring, I think I was just suffering from writer's block (or maybe blogger's block).

I think part of my problem is that I'm getting old.  This upcoming weekend I'll be mourning the loss of something...  My twenties.  It's truly tragic, but I suppose we've all been there, or will be at some point.  Don't get me wrong, I've thoroughly enjoyed the past three decades, and to be honest I think it was more depressing when I wasn't carded at a bar for the first time.  But still, I think women especially are expected to be particularly upset by this birthday, and maybe its just social pressure, but I'm not immune to it.

At any rate, I was thinking about trying to bake my own birthday cake.  I thought it would be fun, and I've never made a cake from scratch before.  I usually just grab a box of funfetti mix and two containers of frosting.  (One for the cake and one for late night musings about things like depressing birthdays.)  Although I've been thinking that baking your own birthday cake could possibly be bad luck, and I think its just too risky for this birthday.  But I did think about your pie, and I think the very nature of pie is relatively safe and free from negative superstition.  This recipe isn't exactly "All-American" apple pie, its more a rustic French version of pie.  It might be pie's predecessor, I'm not sure, you can Wikipedia it if your interested and get back to me; I'm too old and tired right now.  I do love your apple pie, what makes it so delicious is that strudel crumble topping that goes on it.  What makes this galette recipe so good is the crust, the marscarpone cheese gives it a rich, slightly tangy taste.  I chose to top this one with pears and raspberries, but you could really substitute any combination of your favorite fruits.

pear & raspberry galette

for the crust:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold marscarpone cheese
1-1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. ice water

for the filling:
2 pears, sliced (ripe but still firm)
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. lemon juice
pinch salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1 small pack of raspberries
2 tbsp. raspberry preserves
1 tbsp. honey

1 egg, beaten

In a food processor pulse to combine the flour, salt and sugar.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add the lemon juice and marscarpone, pulse a couple times.  Add the water and pulse until the mixture is moist and crumbly.  Dump the mixture on to plastic wrap and form into a disc, place in the fridge for 1/2 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix the pears, sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.

Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a piece of parchment paper.  Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough and roll out to an 11-inch disc, about 1/4-inch thick.  Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the disc to a baking sheet, leaving it on the parchment paper.

Spread the dough with the raspberry preserves, leaving about a 2-inch border.  Layer the pear mixture on top.  Dot with raspberries and drizzle with the honey.  Brush the edges of the crust with the egg.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is golden.  Cover loosely with foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Easy as (peach) pie

Dear Krisitn,

Ah, the lazy, hazy days of summer. I wish.

I can usually gauge my stress levels by the amount of chocolate consumed. One or two Hershey's miniatures a day means life is wonderful, the birds are singing, and I'm feeling carefree. Five or six in a day means I'm a little busy but still sane, the birds have begun to squawk, and while life is not carefree, at least I can still take time to smell the proverbial roses.

Let's just say that I bought a four pound bag of miniatures last week and half of them are gone. Life has gone from carefree to chaotic, the birds are screeching, and I can't even find those darn proverbial roses let alone smell them.

So, I need a break from chocolate. Still craving something sweet, I decided to grab some peaches from the produce section and whip up a peachy summer dessert. This pie is super simple and quick, getting you in and out of a hot summer kitchen in no time. And, unfortunately, that is exactly what I have this week - no time!

So until next week, here's a little something to enjoy.

Peachy Custard Pie

1 9" pie shell
3 T. flour
3 T. brown sugar
2 1/2 lb. peaches (about 5 or 6), peeled and sliced
1 T. lemon juice
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 egg
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. flour

Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix 3 T. flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Spread over bottom of pie shell.
Toss peaches with lemon juice.
Arrange peaches on top of flour/brown sugar mixture.
Whisk evaporated milk and egg together. Pour this mixture over peaches.
Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Sprinkle this mixture over peaches.
Bake at 425F. for 30 to 40 minutes, or until knife inserted 1/2 way between edge and center of pie comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack, then refrigerate.

Cook's tip: To easily peel peaches, cover them with boiling water for about a minute. Drain. Peels will now slip off easily. (This tip only works if you have ripe peaches.)